Forums » The Lounge

Just how important is spelling?

    • 367 posts
    February 6, 2016 8:29 PM EST

    Spelling is important to every section of Tamriel Tales Vault. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in Tamriel Tales or Skyrim CB group, even the Art group.

    Stories with constantly bad spelling puts readers off.

    Builds with spelling errors turns people away so the build fades and ends up in the arena to fight for survival.

    Those of you who follow my story will undoubtedly be aware that I make spelling mistakes in my writing. Those that follow it will also know that I fix everything that is pointed out.

    Saying that though, just how important is spelling? After reading this, I’m not so sure.

    I can read it fine which could be why I miss my errors in the first place…

    Can you read it?

    If you can raed tihs, you hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Can you raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

    I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

    So, after reading this, just how important is spelling after all....

  • Mr.
    • 763 posts
    February 6, 2016 8:55 PM EST

    Well, shit.

     It's something I deem important, and I always read what I post twice or more, to be sure there's no mistake. Everything's made worse by me not being a native speaker, and I would appreciate if people corrected me. Sometimes I have a strange feeling I make very stupid mistakes and people just ignore it. Well don't, just tell me already!

     Spelling is something I have trouble with sometimes, so I have to be constantly checking words I'm not used to, and that is becoming more and more frequent now that I'm trying to get a story/blog going. But the worst problem I have when it comes to grammar and stuff is the incredibly depressing amount of times I tend to repeat words when writing in English. Those words vary, but it's mostly mostly, since and because. Since is a nightmare!

     So besides having to check for the correct spelling, I also have to look for synonyms - though only when I'm writing "serious stuff".

     I also have an habit of using English words that are not used by many, but its equivalent in Portuguese is used way more frequently and after checking if the thing at least exists, I put it in there, hoping people will understand it and not judge me for using that kind of language as opposed to something much more simple, albeit unknown to me.

    • 367 posts
    February 6, 2016 9:04 PM EST

    I always read my work aloud as I read to my wife Aela. Everything goes through a grammar checker and I have a list of words which I specifically check as well.

    Lately I've been scrutinising the word 'that'. I've found that half the time I use it; I simply don't need it at all.

    Other problems I have come across being in the UK are words which we spell differently to those members in the USA. Armour/Armor, colour/color are just a few that have scuttled me in the past.

     

    • 404 posts
    February 6, 2016 9:06 PM EST

    I know what you mean, words have different spellings between the English Speaking countries.

  • Tom
    • 624 posts
    February 7, 2016 2:44 AM EST

    Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

    What really? Is that like one of the "half of the population has below average intelligence" sort of thing?

    • 649 posts
    February 7, 2016 3:12 AM EST

    Yikes, I completely understood every damn word, even when I´m not englishman! I´m genius! 

    Hm, spelling errors isn´t something that would really bother, everyone can misclick when typing and such. Basically, in 1000 words I usually make one spelling error. Oppossite to 500 gramatical errors  I wish spelling errors were my problem...

    • 288 posts
    February 7, 2016 3:19 AM EST

    Your cheap mind tricks won't work on me, boy

    • 268 posts
    February 7, 2016 3:24 AM EST
    I can read all but "sgtrane"

    But the moment I typed it my laptop corrected it to "strange" so now I can read all of it :D

    As for the discussion, I'd say spelling (and grammar on the whole) is incredibly important. You just appear so much more presentable, intelligent and thoughtful, unlike people who just seem to hit their heads on the keyboard and somehow vague things that look like words come out. It's similar to use of language and vocabulary in real life. I'd rather talk to someone polite and with good grammar than talk to some chav (that's what they're called in England anyway, no idea about the rest of the world) who can barely manage two syllable words. That doesn't apply to foreign people though - double respect to those who will actually go to the trouble to learn a language, god knows the English are crap at that.

    The extract was interesting though. Like I said I could understand all of it but "sgtrane," but I still don't believe that only 11 in every 20 people can read it - that just seems bizarre, since I understood it fairly clearly. Let's do our own test on the Vault, see how many here can understand it (since we've a rather multicultural place too!).
    • 627 posts
    February 7, 2016 4:33 AM EST

    I'm fairly sure their hasn't been a study done on this but then I and the person who I got this info from may be wrong.

    1) A vheclie epxledod at a plocie cehckipont near the UN haduqertares in Bagahdd on Mnoday kilinlg the bmober and an Irqai polcie offceir

    2) Big ccunoil tax ineesacrs tihs yaer hvae seezueqd the inmcoes of mnay pneosenirs

    3) A dootcr has aimttded the magltheuansr of a tageene ceacnr pintaet who deid aetfr a hatospil durg blendur 

    I got these 3 sentences from the source I mentioned above, basically they follow the rules outlined in the passage included in Sotek's post, but in trying to read them you may notice that each one is harder to read than the last. 

    Here's the source if you want to read it

    • 149 posts
    February 7, 2016 5:13 AM EST

    From a linguistic standpoint, all spelling is arbitrary. It's only as important as we make it out to be. If I say, "This was to big of a problem," don't you still understand what I'm saying? The 'to' is phonetically correct and gains its meaning through context, not spelling.

    Written language isn't natural to us. Only spoken language is. 

    That said, people make a big deal about spelling. As long as they do, so should you. 

    • 393 posts
    February 7, 2016 5:22 AM EST

    Lol, Sotek this is cool))) I knew about this thing with the first and the last letter too. But only 55 of 100? Really? No, there can't be anything in the world that this little me can do and other people can't, I can't believe it.

    I do a lot of misspelling too, the tablet keyboard is awful (or just my hands grow from a wrong place, lol). Although I mostly notice them and correct them.

    • 268 posts
    February 7, 2016 5:39 AM EST
    Yeah, they do get more difficult - the longer words basically turn into anagrams, which I suck at anyway. I still don't know what "magltheuansr" and "tageene" are, but I eventually got "pneosenirs" after a bit of educated guesswork.
    • 295 posts
    February 7, 2016 5:41 AM EST

    Yes, I can read all the sentences very clearly, which why I read my work aloud and then have another person read it. My mind tends to fill in errors automatically so it makes editing a bit tricky for me. 

    Cool that you have pointed that out. 

    • 627 posts
    February 7, 2016 5:44 AM EST

    The page I linked to has the original sentences at the bottom, but "magltheuansr" is manslaughter and "tageene" is teenage.

    • 367 posts
    February 7, 2016 7:58 AM EST

    That would be an interesting poll.

    1. Yes I can read it.
    2. No I can't.
    3. I didn't bother, it's silly.

    • 367 posts
    February 7, 2016 8:29 AM EST

    Wish I had a Sisterbane to check my work ....

    *Whines under an overhang...

    • 54 posts
    February 7, 2016 10:18 AM EST

    We all do, we all do. But we have each other!

    But she has her sister AND us....

    • 50 posts
    February 7, 2016 1:34 PM EST

    I can read that fine but I agree; anything filled with bad spelling and grammar puts me off. It may be the best story in the world but if the first chapter is littered with mistakes I generally won't read any further and never find out if the story is good or not. I'm not the best writer but I try to ensure my spelling is correct.

  • February 7, 2016 1:38 PM EST

    As someone who has a degree in English and works as an editor for a moderately-sized metropolitan newspaper...yeah, spelling is pretty important. I'm much more lax when it comes to grammar and word choices (I believe that language is a living thing, after all), but proper spelling is important. Especially in a language like English, which is hard enough for people to understand without you screwing it up all the time.

    • 275 posts
    February 8, 2016 5:12 PM EST
    55/100, Really? So you're telling us that 45/100 people are mentally retarded?

    I'd say spelling is important. just imagine if the Harry Potter series was riddled with typos and punctuation errors. Yes, I did find a few typos in the Half-Blood Prince so even published books have errors but when it's riddled with errors (sorry Sotek) it loses some of its quality.

    I have yet to write the chapters yet (though I will very soon) I can give some expert advice. autocorrect, it never goes wrong.
    • 168 posts
    February 8, 2016 5:50 PM EST

    I have to admit, sometimes I misspell things on purpose so people don't think I'm super smart or whatever. I don't want that kind of attention, it'd be such a drag. Or I do it to be funny.

    If I'm posting a build or something like that, then I don't make spelling mistakes.

    55 out of 100? No way, I don't believe that.

    • 36 posts
    April 5, 2016 10:53 AM EDT

    I could read that. Quote: If you can read this, you have a straight mind too.

    Exactly. There are some people who cannot spell correctly but I really like to read the linguistic errors because some are funny. Have you seen Jacksepticeye, Matthias and ComedyShortsGamer on YouTube? They do RYC videos and I like them because I find people's poor linguistic skills quite amusing.

    I can spell correctly and I think twice on what I write.

    • 47 posts
    April 5, 2016 2:32 PM EDT

    This is a memory thing. If I met or use the word everyday my brain will recognize it. Also, I`m not a native english speaker. 

    • 184 posts
    April 5, 2016 3:51 PM EDT

    Sotek, that was entirely readable thanks to the power of the human mind, but unfortunately, thanks to the power of my perfectionism I suffered physical pain from the experience.